Top 8 Summer Blockbuster Movies of 2014
Before Jaws set box office records alight in the summer of 1975, films such as The Ten Commandments, Gone with the Wind and Ben-Hur were considered ‘blockbusters’ simply because of the amount of money they earned at the box office.
When Jaws came along, movie executives and marketeers realised a blockbuster had more money making potential than first thought, especially when Jaws became a merchandise moving machine. It started the Summer Blockbuster trend through which studios and distributors planned their entire annual marketing strategy around big releases between May and August.
Every year we are greeted to plenty of blockbuster movies that are geared up to having us rush to our nearest multiplex, buy a tub of popcorn and hand over our hard earned money to watch the latest over-the-top, action packed, special effects ladened Hollywood flick. As expected, 2014 saw a full slate of these movies, ranging from Marvel's familiar superhero exploits to the more common trend of rebooted past franchises. So with the 2014 summer of Blockbusters now resigned to the history books, we have complied a list of the top 8 Blockbusters from this past summer.
the ones that didn't make the cut
Disney attempted to reboot interest in their classic tale Sleeping Beauty with the prequel Maleficent starring Angelina Jolie. With a lead actress as recognizable as Jolie, Disney must’ve thought they where on to a winner. Unfortunately, Maleficent turned out to be a rather lacklustre movie that was thin on story depth, lacking any sort of compelling build. The only best parts of this movie lay with the direct references to the original Sleeping Beauty.
Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller delivered us the second movie in the Sin City franchise this summer. It wasn’t a poor movie by any stretch of the imagination, but it certainly didn’t live up to its predecessor. What ultimately hurt Sin City: A Dame to Kill For was the length of time between the two releases. Nine years is a long time to wait for the second to arrive and clearly audiences patience had wore a little thin. Overall, Sin City: A Dame to Kill For is just as ultra-violent and sexy as ever, although certain aspects of the storytelling leave us wondering exactly why we even care about these sleazy low lives.
This summer gave us another Michael Bay Transformers movie, oh the joy! In typical Bay fashion, he didn’t disappoint in delivering us an excruciating and obnoxious movie. Transformers: Age of Extinction is so bad, I feel physically sick just thinking about it. Coming in at a shockingly long 165 minutes, Transformers: Age of Extinction is nothing more than a trashy, elongated, soul-sucking advertisement for Chevrolet and China (along with plenty of other products, too). How Michael Bay still gets away with this dissonant storytelling isn’t worth thinking about, trust me.
If Transformers: Age of Extinction wasn’t enough Michael Bay torture for one summer, we where also given a rebooted attempt at the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles franchise, which Bay produced. It isn’t as incongruous as Transformers, but what it achieves in the realism of the cast members portrayal of the turtles, it lacks in fluidity of story. The action is just as fierce as any Marvel movie but the scenes in between are rather dull and shaky, at best.
The same can be said for The Expendables 3. The third movie in this tired and worn out franchise was released to a rather unenthusiastic public this past August. We know it’s a silly, overblown action movie, designed for no strings attached fun, but there comes a time when you need to draw a line under it— even though Antonio Banderas is the only redeeming light in this lifeless movie.
Now it’s time to move onto the success stories of 2014’s blockbuster slate!
8. The Amazing spider-man 2
The Amazing Spider-Man 2 does a great job of honing it's emotional sub-plots. Gwen's relationship with Peter Parker is yet again a triumph, as it was in the first movie. We buy into their love story of lovers who can't be in love because Parker is Spider-Man and he may put her life in danger, which leads to Gwen's death— a very unexpected, yet effective move by the screenwriters. At times narrative arcs such as these may get a little repetitive, but the way they work off each other, lends its hand to giving this story depth. Overall, this is a good cinematic experience— the special effects and editing played very well across the big screen and Andrew Garfield is perfectly fine as Peter Parker/Spider-Man. Although, we haven't quite bought into his nerdy persona as Peter Parker, just yet and The Amazing Spider-Man 2 may be guilty of having too many characters.
Read our full review of The Amazing Spider-Man 2 here
7. edge of tomorrow
Last year Tom Cruise gave us Oblivion, which ultimately felt like a punch in the stomach. This year, Cruise gave us Edge of Tomorrow, another futuristic sci-fi thriller of the same ilk but with more heart.
Cruise never misses a step in the action scenes, proving to still be one of the best action heroes around. Cruise isn't the only performance worthy of note; Emily Blunt is just as affable. Her presence in this film certainly plays well against Cruise's. She has an heir of Sarah Connor from Terminator within her character's dimensions. Being the skilled actor that she is, Blunt also triumphs in the bad-ass element of her role which also features a nice emotional scope— tying the story as a whole, together.
Read our full review of Edge of Tomorrow here
6. captain america: the winter soldier
Marvel have done a great job of tying everything from the previous film into a water tight package— it fits and works astutely. It's a total superhero movie right down to it's bare bones— but it's most certainly more than just that. It's a great political drama set against the backdrop of the Marvel universe. The conspiracies of don't trust anyone certainly lifts this film above the previous Captain America film and most of the other Marvel releases. They've even done a pleasant job of briefly mentioning what the other Avengers are up to, which is a smart piece of continuity from Marvel that helps keep audiences’ mouths watering at next years Avengers movie.
Read our full review of Captain America: The Winter Soldier here
5. how to train your dragon 2
The first movie remains beloved— and rightly so— whilst this second instalment stays true to the first movies relationship between Hiccup and Toothless. How to Train Your Dragon focussed on compassion and friendship using it's human hero as the focal point in the underdog fantasy story. Taking that arc, How to Train Your Dragon 2 pulls it to the next logical place, a coming of age story. It’s a fine example of how to improve upon it's predecessor. With more sentiment and spirit to the story and the evolution of characters help elevate this movie. Once again, DreamWorks delivered a fine animated film with a superb story.
Read our full review of How to Train Your Dragon 2 here
4. godzilla
Godzilla is a great piece of blockbuster craftsmanship. The special effects are incredibly honed and mature, giving this film its edge over similar styled films. The appeal of the best sequences in Godzilla is that they lend weight and importance to the comic-books. Within the ground rules of these movies, they have plausibility. The original story of Godzilla is well told and the characters portrayed will not disappoint any avid fan of the monster genre.
Read our full review of Godzilla here
3. x-men: days of future past
X-Men: Days of Future Past boasts a cast of riches, a who's who of Hollywood. The cast embrace their characters, giving us a realistic interpretation on these comic book heroes. Being one of the most anticipated movies of the summer, it didn't disappoint. X-Men pulls off a lot of impossibles by adapting comic writer Chris Claremont's cherished 1980 story arc, giving us an extravaganza to behold.
Read our full review of X-Men: Days of Future Past here
2. dawn of the planet of the apes
The beauty of this movie is it doesn't rely on the aspects of war to deliver it's hard narrative punch. The overall theme of the movie is trust and whether war will steam from that trust being broken or obtained. Movies such as these can sometimes be held back by the powers of CGI, delivering up a movie too reliant on it's visual appeal, ultimately neglecting story. Dawn couldn't be further away from all of that. Its narrative is the priority throughout. It's a suspenseful, rip-roaring movie that has you on the edge of your seat.
Read our full review of Dawn of the Planet of the Apes here
1. guardians of the galaxy
Guardians of the Galaxy may well be one of Marvel's best. Director James Gunn paints a canvas of huge scope but never looses focus on his five misfits, who fit perfectly into this visually stunning world. With time and care clearly taken on developing these characters to the point that we genuinely take interest, isn't the only triumph of Guardians of the Galaxy. The fun factor of this movie is off the charts. It's energetic yet brazen. It's stylish yet quick-witted. It's a Marvel movie that is showing maturity, only one film in to the franchise.
Read our full review of Guardians of the Galaxy here
